Backing up your computer

David Shinkfield

Computer Learning Center at Ewing

February 2010

Backing up your computer Why do we back up?

What to back up?

How often to back up?

What will we back up to, and what will it cost?

How to make it (almost) automatic

Backing up the Operating System and Programs

Security and your computer

Reasons to Back Up your computer1. Your digital photos are priceless

2. Your music library took you a lifetime to compile

3. Your brilliant thoughts—lost forever!

4. Protect your digital filing cabinet

5. You can take your laptop almost anywhere (but it’s not invincible)

6. Hard disks don’t last forever

7. Viruses, worms, and malware, oh my!

8. Disaster strikes

9. Data recovery is pricey and it doesn’t always work

Thanks to PC Magazine

Our Purpose

To create a copy of our private and personal information so that we can recover it regardless of the disaster that strikes.

Secondly, to return the computer to its working condition as easily as possible.

What should we back up?

In simple terms – everything,

but let’s be more specific

Where is this information stored?

3.5 inches

Some DefinitionsThe size of the filing room – or the

size of your hard disk is measured in BYTES

1000 bytes = 1 Kilobyte (KB)

1000 Kilobytes (KB) = 1 Megabyte (MB)

1400 KB or 1.4 MB• 1000 Megabytes (MB) = 1 Gigabyte

(GB)

Typical hard drive today between 200 and 500 GB

How information is stored in our computer (on our Hard Disk)

Windows XP,Vista

or 7

Programs Your Data

Supplied on a CD or DVD, or with some computers, a Restore Disk.

Word, Excel, Quicken, Firefox, Picasa etc., etc.Installed with computer when you buy it (and included on the Restore Disk), bought later on a CD or downloaded from the Internet

This is information unique to you – photos of grand-kids, your financial data, your emails and contacts, your music library etc.

• My Documents

• Favorites or Bookmarks

• Email and contacts

Your data Stored in My Documents

Photos of grand-kids, your financial data, your music library

• Your emails and contacts• Storage location

depends on email program

• Favorites or Bookmarks• C:\Documents and

Settings\User Name\Favorites

How much room do I need for my back up

• Firstly, My Documents

• Click Start. Right click on My Documents and select Properties

• Select General tab

• The size of My Documents is shown


How much storage do I need for my Back Up• Firstly, My

DocumentsYou will you’re probably find that My Documents file is about 1 GB

How much room do I need for my back up Secondly, My Favorites

or Bookmarks

This is a small file and it will be less than 0.25 GB

Thirdly, your Email and Contacts

For most people, this also is a small file and will be less than 0.5 GB


My Documents

Favorites or Bookmarks

Email and Contacts

Total

1 GB

0.25 GB

0.5 GB

1.75 GB

So, in summary

How much can I storeDigital Music (MP3) Hours of high quality music

Digital Photos (JPEG) Number of brilliant digital photos

Digital Videos Hours of videos

DVD Quality Movies (2 hours) Quantity of 2 hour DVD movies

Video games Number of exciting games

100 GB 1,665 32,000 100 25 50

500 GB 8,330 160,000 500 125 250

What will we back up to?

External Hard Disks

Flash Drive

CD or DVD

On Line back up

External Hard Disks

Cost $60 - $150

Capacity 60GB – 1000GB

Speed Fast

Advantage

Flash Drive

Cost $10 - $60

Capacity 1GB – 32GB

Speed Fast

Advantage

CD or DVD

Cost $0.10 - $3

Capacity 650MB – 8GB

Speed Medium Fast

Advantage

On-Line back up Cost 2GB – Free

(Unlimited $60 per year)

Capacity 2GB – unlimited

Speed Slow

Advantage

On-Line back upRecommendation from PC

World

www.Mozy.com/home

“Once you set it up, it quietly backs up your files in the background as you work. The first full back up can take days, but you will barely notice it after that” PC World

http://www.mozy.com/home

What will we back up to?

Large-Huge

Cost

External Drive Flash Drive CD or DVD On-Line

Capacity

Advantage

$60 per year$10 - $60 $0.10 - $3 each$60 - $150

Speed

Small-MediumSmallMediumLarge

SlowFastFastFast

External Drive back upHow to make it (almost) automatic

Windows includes a Back-Up Wizard

• Drives frequently come with Back-up software.

• If not, there are free programs that work well. I use Replicator, developed by Karen Kenworthy(http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp or just Google Replicator)

http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp


Windows Back-Up Wizard Click Start, then All

Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools and then Backup

This opens the Wizard

(Right clicking on Backup and select Send to Desktop will create a shortcut on the Desktop)

Windows Back-Up Wizard

Replicator Automatically backup files, directories, even entire

drives! Karen's Replicator copies selected files from one drive/folder to another. Source and Destination folders can reside anywhere on your network.

Options include repeated copies at intervals as short as a few minutes, or as long as several months, copy only files that have changed, and the replication of folder and file deletions.

Replicator

What about backing up the Operating System and Programs

Windows XP or Vista

Programs Your Data

• My Documents

• Favorites or Bookmarks

• Email and contacts

• Windows Back Up Wizard allows you to back up all the information on your computer

• Programs such as Norton Ghost and AcronisTrue Image enable you to create an “image” of your hard drive

How to restore your dataIf you get a virus, and your computer won’t boot, you may need to reinstall Windows.

If you have a Windows CD, and know the Authentication Code, you can boot from the CD and REPAIR Windows. This keeps your data and settings

If you have a Restore CD from your computer manufacturer, using it will return your computer to the state when it was new. All your data will be destroyed. You will also need to reinstall any programs that you have added.

My recommended Back Up Plan

My recommended Back Up Plan1. Divide the hard disk in your computer into two

“partitions”. This is like having two file cabinets –one for Windows and programs and the second for your data

Windows and Programs

Data

C: Drive D: Drive

2. Setting up the disk can be done when new or with programs such as Acronis® Disk Director ($50) or Partition Logic (free)

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,69288/description.html

My recommended Back Up Plan Buy an external USB drive


Buy a USB External drive

Create three “partitions” on the external USB drive

Back Up 1 Back Up 2 Image

E: Drive F: Drive G: Drive


Windows and Programs

Data

C: Drive D: Drive



Computer Drive

External USB Drive

Schedule Replicator to back up Data today and every other day


Windows and Programs Data

C: Drive D: Drive



Computer Drive

External USB Drive

Schedule Replicator to back up Data tomorrow and every other day



C: Drive D: Drive



Computer Drive

External USB Drive

Create an image file of your Windows partition

How to Recover your files


C: Drive D: Drive



Computer Drive

External USB Drive

In SummaryThe three basic rules of “safe” computing

1. Install an Anti Virus program on your computer and make sure that it is updated regularly (automatically)

2. Install a Firewall on your computer and make sure it is always working

3. Update Windows regularly (automatically)

In Summary

In SummaryThe three basic rules of “safe” computing

1. Install an Anti Virus program on your computer and make sure that it is updated regularly (automatically)

2. Install a Firewall on your computer and make sure it is always working

3. Update Windows regularly (automatically)

Now add4. Back up your files and data regularly

www.ewingsnet.com

http://www.ewingsnet.com/

What Sex is my Computer – male or female

The men decided that the Computer is female because

No one but their creator understands their internal logic

Even the smallest mistakes are stored for ever for later retrieval

As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your income on accessories for it

The women, however, believed that computers are male because In order to do anything with them, you have to

turn them on

They have a lot of data but cannot think for themselves

They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time, they are the problem

As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have got a better model

Thank you

We hope you enjoyed the talk

Come and sign up for our classes, learn more and have fun!

Backing up your computer

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